(Here's a link to the "How To" video Pat and Jim made: https://youtu.be/uczvvWh170I)
Everyone makes pasta of one form or fashion. Many claim to be Italian or have authentic passed down recipes from Italian grandparents but most if any have ever lived in Italy. I have, as have my family. Interestingly, Lasagna was rarely on any menu we ever saw and we lived in Naples (Napoli) where, according to the history of Lasagna, tomato sauce was introduced into Lasagna, a meal copied from the Greeks. Anyway, this recipe is as accurate as any Lasagna recipe can be when it has changed so much over the years. I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
¾ pound lean ground beef
½ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (6.5 ounces) cans of canned tomato sauce
2 (6-ounce) cans of tomato paste
½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook:
1. Gather all ingredients
2. Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat until well browned.
3. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Season with sugar, 2 tablespoons parsley, the basil, 1 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg (we doubled the ricotta cheese and added a second egg as recommended in comments about this recipe), add the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. To assemble, spread some meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, a thin layer. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise 1 noodle cut in half and lay it horizontally over meat sauce. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
7. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Once out of the oven let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes
